Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Baby Blue Christmas Cover

Some things are impossible not to love!

Baby Blue Christmas

from Chapter 5

While
Jamison napped, Sophie went to the attic and found her grandmother’s Christmas
ornaments and decorations. Her heart twisted and she had to blink back tears as
she carried the boxes to the living room. Her grandmother had been gone for
nearly a decade, but this would be the first year without her sister. In her
entire life, she’d never once imagined a world without her sister—until she had
to. She had thought about calling her dad and offering to fly up with Jamison,
and maybe she would still do that, but…

The
truth was she didn’t feel comfortable around her stepmother, and she knew the
feeling was mutual. And her dad didn’t do a thing to ease the tension. So,
would she rather spend Christmas alone—or would she rather be uncomfortable
with her dad and stepmother?

The
teapot let out a high squeal, letting Sophie know that the cocoa was ready. She
chose the reindeer mugs her grandmother had always used and filled four of them
with the steaming cocoa. She topped each with a dollop of whipped cream and
added chocolate sprinkles.

Luke’s
SUV swung down the driveway. Maybe, she thought as she watched him climb from
the car, there’s another option. The door slammed after Mia and Paige got out.
Paige, dressed in a long black coat, dark jeans and knee-high leather boots,
frowned at the house and wrinkled her nose as if she didn’t like what she
smelled.

Sophie
hurried back into the kitchen to check on her lasagna. It was her grandmother
Morelli’s recipe and she’d made everything—even the noodles—from scratch, just
as her nonna had.

She
loaded up the tray with the cocoa mugs, carried it into the living room, and
set it down on the coffee table before opening the door.

Luke
came in and gave her a swift hug before turning to Mia and Paige. “I hope you
don’t mind, but they insisted on bringing a salad.”

“Only
it’s not made yet,” Mia said, nodding at the grocery bag in her arms.

“That’s
great,” Sophie said. “Come on into the kitchen. If you can’t find anything,
Luke can show you around while I set the table.” She motioned to the mugs on
the coffee table. “I made some cocoa.”

Paige
slipped off her coat and laid it over the back of the sofa. “Do you have any
sugar-free?”

“Is
there a…dog…in…this…place?” Paige asked right before she sneezed again.

Sophie
pointed her mug at Javert sleeping on his quilt in front of the fire.

Mia
dropped to her knees beside the puppy. “Oh, he’s the cutest thing! What is he?”

“I
have no idea,” Sophie told her.

“He
has to go!” Paige said. “Either that, or I do!”

That
seemed like an easy to decision to Sophie, but after a quick look at Luke’s
face, she gathered the puppy into her arms. “Come on, Javert,” she muttered
into his fur. “We know when we’re not wanted.” Inside the mudroom, she put a
towel on the floor and placed him on it. He blinked at her with sad, tired
eyes. “You’ll be fine in here for a few hours,” she said while petting him.

Back
in the living room, she found Paige rummaging through her purse while Luke and
Mia sipped their cocoa.

“What
sort of name is Javert ?” Paige asked as she pulled a small pill bottle from
her purse.

“You
know, like Inspector Javert from Les
Miserables.”

“Les Miserables? You mean that movie with
Hugh Jackman? I don’t remember any dogs in that film.” Paige sneezed again. “Do
you mind if we open the windows and doors?” she asked moments before she did
so. A cold breeze blew into the room.

“Mia,
why don’t you help me set the table,” Luke said.

Paige
followed Sophie into the kitchen. “I’m allergic to dogs.”

“I
sort of got that,” Sophie said.

Paige
sniffed and popped open her pill bottle. “Where’s the tea?”

Sophie
opened the cupboard where Chloe had left a large collection of teas. Paige
sniffed again, selected a bag, and made a small sound that might have been a
thank you when Sophie handed her a teacup.

Sophie
pulled the lasagna from the oven. The cheese on top had turned a crispy, golden
brown, just the way she liked it. The French bread would soon be done as well.

Paige
removed a head of Romaine lettuce, a box of croutons, and a bottle of dried
Parmesan cheese from the grocery bag and put it all down on the table.

“Do
you have a bowl?” Paige asked.

“Um,
sure.” Sophie retrieved the bowl, a cutting board and knife, and a colander.

Paige
eyed the colander. “What’s that for?”

“I
thought you’d want to wash the lettuce.”

“No.
I bought this at Whole Foods.”

“Still—”

“Everything
there is organic.”

Sophie
bit her lower lip and took another peek at her French bread.

“I
know what you’re doing,” Paige said as she whacked the lettuce into bite-size
pieces.

“You
do?” Sophie tried to guess what Paige could be talking about. “That’s great,
because sometimes I feel like I don’t.”

“You’re
pretending to play house with Luke.”

Sophie
laughed, because, yes, that was exactly how she felt.

“Well,
it won’t work. He can’t be domesticated.” She waved her hand at the mudroom
door. “He’s not like a puppy you can housebreak.”

Sophie
raised her eyebrows when Luke came in.

“Are
you talking about me?” Luke asked.

Paige
froze like a statue.

Sophie
fought for something to say to break the tension. “You know, maybe we should go
and pick out a tree before it gets dark.”

“But
your ankle,” Luke said.

“It’s
feeling better. A walk could do me good.”

“Why
walk?” Mia chipped in. “Why not take the ATVs?”

“I’d
forgotten all about those,” Sophie said, only she didn’t know how she could
since they took up so much room in the barn. “I’m not even sure they still
run.”

“Why
wouldn’t they?” Mia asked.

“They
might need gas,” Sophie said.

“Are
you scared of the ATVs?” Luke asked.

“No.”
Sort of.

“Well,
I’m not going,” Paige said.

“That’s
great,” Luke said. “Then you can stay here with Jamie.”

Panic
filled Paige’s face. “But what if he wakes up?”

Luke
pulled his phone from his pocket. “Then you’ll call me and we’ll come right
back.”

Paige
screamed and jumped onto the ottoman as Javert tore through the kitchen and
circled the living room. Luke went after him. Mia tried to tackle the dog, but
landed face-first on the carpet. Sophie sank onto the sofa, laughing. Javert
jumped onto her lap.

Jamison
began to cry.

Paige
huffed, stalked from the room, and banged through the front door.

Sophie,
still trying not to laugh, tucked Javert under her arm, and climbed the stairs
to get Jamison.